The other officers had predicted a little drama when the ZPD hired its second bunny. They'd never have imagined that the new doe would take to Nick like she did, or that Judy would end up being the odd one out.
"Morning, Nick."
"Morning." Nick grinned, handing the bunny a small Snarlbucks cup. "I got your usual."
"Aww. And to what do I owe such a sweet gesture?"
He put a paw to his chest, a half-believable look of shock on his face. "Can't a fox just do something nice for his partner?"
She peered at him skeptically, hiding a smile. "I can't help but feel like you're up to something."
"I might be." He answered playfully, winking at the bunny over the top of his mirrored aviators. "Of course, if you were looking to get up to something..."
She stepped a bit closer. "I wouldn't need to look very far, would I?"
"AHEM!" The two of them snapped out of their little bubble, turning to the annoyed-looking gray bunny standing nearby. "If you two are done playing around, morning briefing is in five minutes."
They shared a glance, trying not to smile as Judy Hopps - the ZPD's first bunny - shook her head and limped away.
It had been three weeks since Judy had managed to fracture her leg chasing a suspect. The break hadn't been serious and she managed to get by with a walking cast, but Bogo had still placed her on six weeks of light duty. unfortunately, that left her partner without anyone to patrol with, so Mammal Resources had paired Nick with the only other ZPD member his size – Officer Annabelle Briar.
Briar was the second bunny to join the ranks of the Zootopia Police Department, proudly following in Judy's own paw prints. Like Judy, Briar had excelled at the academy and similarly been assigned to Precinct One, throwing herself into the job with all the passion and tenacity of the rabbit she so respected.
Despite her inexperience, she and Nick got on like a house on fire, developing a nearly instant rapport. Annabelle was born and raised in Zootopia, a peculiarity among rabbits. Though she'd grown up in the Rainforest District, the oldest daughter of a successful grocer, she still knew the city like the back of her paw - almost as well as Nick did.
The various officers shuffled into the briefing room for roll call, most falling into their usual seats. Judy – being unable to hop up to her regular seat with Nick – had to wait until Francine was seated so the elephant could lift her to sit on the table. She found the process a little embarrassing, thinking it made her look like a stuffed toy. Francine was very polite about it, though – and quick to glare and any officer that might see fit to mock the temporarily impeded bunny.
As Chief Bogo entered the room to the customary hoots and hollers, Judy enviously gazed at Briar standing next to Nick. She knew it was silly, but that chair was their chair – her and Nick's – and Judy did not like seeing him sharing it with someone else.
"All right, Shut it!" The Chief bellowed, holding up a case file for the entire briefing room to see. "Before we get started, I'd like to congratulate Officers Wilde and Briar for their discovery of a massive nip growing operation in Sahara Square. Although the investigation of the scene is ongoing, our crime scene analysts estimate the crop's value at nearly a quarter million dollars. Wilde, Briar...good work, both of you."
More hoots and cheers filled the room as the tawny bunny, practically vibrating with happiness, turned to give Judy a thumbs up and an excited grin. Judy could only muster a watery smile in return.
Ugh, a tiny voice in the back of her mind muttered. Gloat some more, why don't you?
While everyone else headed off on patrol following the morning briefing, Judy listlessly hobbled back to her small cubicle for another long day of paperwork.
As she pulled the latest form from the top of the pile, she reflected on how much it bothered her when Nick had stopped loitering around her desk. Not so long ago she'd have been shooing him away with a firm reminder to get his paperwork done. Then he'd saunter off with that insufferable smirk of his and she'd get back to whatever she'd been doing, knowing that he'd be back in about ten minutes to distract her again.
She'd been looking forward to a little Nick-free time so she could get some work done, but was surprised to find that she missed the fox's constant interruptions. As the hours crawled passed, she longed for her partner to come by with a joke or some ridiculous piece of office gossip; anything to break up the painful monotony of her day.
As the shift's end finally drew near, she packed up her desk and slowly made her way across the bullpen to where Nick's oft-neglected desk sat. Pleased to find him sitting there, she picked up her pace till she was leaning against his desk and casually glancing at whatever the fox was working on. "Hey Nick."
He looked up with a smile. "Hiya, Carrots. How's it going?"
"I'm actually done and completely ready to get out of here. Feel like getting something to eat?"
Nick winced slightly. "Ooh, no can do. Annie and I are catching a movie."
"Oh, okay. No problem." Judy's ears fell the slightest bit. "What are you guys seeing?"
"That new horror flick. Not really your thing." He shrugged. "Rain check, though?"
"Sure." She smiled, suddenly not feeling very hungry as she headed in the direction of the locker rooms.
Later the following week, Judy was chatting with Clawhauser at the front desk when Annie came jogging over from the bullpen.
"Hey guys. What's new and amazing?"
While Judy politely returned the greeting, Ben regarded the rookie with an uncharacteristically cool expression. "What can I do for you, Briar?"
The bunny hesitated. "Um...I'm supposed to see you about some case files that got sent up from archives?"
"What are the file numbers?" He asked, a little impatiently.
She pulled out her notepad, rattling off a short list. Ben nodded curtly, then turned and began flipping through the filing cabinets behind him.
As he did, Annie leaned over to whisper to Judy. "Does Ben seem a little...annoyed...to you?"
"A little, maybe."
"He doesn't seem to like me very much, but I can't figure out why. Nick says he likes everyone."
"Maybe his blood sugar is low?" Judy shrugged. "That reminds me, do you know where Nick is? Once the shift ends, he's usually the first one out the door."
"Back in the bullpen. He and I are going to stay late and finish off our paperwork."
"Oh. Need any help?"
"Thanks for the offer, but we're just doing incident summaries." Briar grinned wryly. "You kinda had to be there."
Judy laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Clawhauser coughed loudly, reclaiming Annie's attention as he held out a short stack of files.
"Thanks Ben!" Annie grabbed the folders, quickly making her way over to the bullpen doors. "Later Hopps!"
"Homewrecker." Clawhouser muttered once he figured Briar was out of hearing range, though the brief hitch in the other rabbit's stride hinted that she hadn't been quite far enough.
Judy gave the cheetah and appalled look, smacking him on the shoulder. "What the hell was that, Clawhouser?!"
"Oh..." He stammered, clearly surprised at her reaction. "I just..."
"C'mon, Ben. That was completely inappropriate and you know it."
The cheetah looked down, fidgeting with a pen. "I'm sorry."
"You know I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."
"Judy, I just..."
"Go. Now." She pointed toward the bullpen. "Before you end up getting reported to Mammal Resources."
Even as she scolded the abashed cheetah, there was a small part of her that cheered at his words. If she was being one hundred percent honest, she sometimes wanted the other bunny to just disappear so she could go back to having Nick all to herself. But Briar was a fellow ZPD officer and, by all accounts, a good mammal. She hadn't done a thing to deserve that kind of treatment.
When she finally got the all-clear to go on active duty again, Judy could barely contain her excitement. Nick, on the other hand, seemed a little hesitant to return to the status quo.
"When you think about it," Nick argued. "It'd be better for Briar's professional development to patrol with a more senior officer for a little while longer."
"Her professional development?" She repeated dubiously.
"Absolutely." He insisted. "She's really advanced in the last six weeks. I don't want to break her stride now."
She shook her head. "She can gain just as much experience with another senior officer. I am going stir crazy, Nick. We need to get back out there."
She briefly thought Nick looked disappointed, but that smile of his was back in place so quickly she decided she must have been imagining things. "Fair enough, Fluff. Wildehopps rides again, eh?"
"You know it!" She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "How about we go grab a drink to celebrate? My treat."
He shook his head and her heart sank a little. "I actually can't tonight."
"That's cool." Judy tried to sound casual. "Having dinner with Annie again?"
"Yeah, that's the plan."
"You guys sure are spending a lot of time together." Beneath her desk, she pressed one paw firmly down on the other to keep either of them from thumping on the carpet. No matter what she did, it felt like she and Nick were drifting apart – though she also felt a little silly thinking that way; after all, it had only been six weeks since they'd last been on patrol together. "You'd think the two of you would be sick of each other by now."
"I guess." Nick replied with a shrug.
"Going anywhere special?"
"We were just gonna order take-out."
Judy felt the familiar hollow sensation in her stomach grow into something not unlike fear. "Take out? At your place?"
"Her place, actually. We're doing a movie night." Nick grinned. "Annie has a bunch of truly godawful B-movies on blu-ray. We're gonna watch Invasion of the Bunny-Snatchers, Marmots from Planet X, Mecha-Mammal AND Mecha-Mammal II: The Capybara's Revenge! We're gonna mock the hell out of them in all their high-resolution glory!"
"Sounds fun."
The fox paused, peering at his friend. "Something on your mind, Carrots?"
"Not really." She fiddled with a pen on her desk. "I guess I just miss hanging out with you."
"Oh, well...uh..." Nick made a strange face. "You wanna come along?"
Judy was a little surprised at the invitation and – judging by his expression – so was Nick. Unfortunately, by the time she decided it would be more appropriate to decline they were already on their way to Briar's apartment.
Annie blinked in surprise when she opened her door and found twice as many mammals as she expected. "Oh...heya Hopps. I...didn't know you were coming."
"Yeah, Nick invited me." Judy smiled, subtly eyeing the other doe. She couldn't put her finger on it, but Annabelle seemed to look a little too…pretty…for a movie night. Then she saw that Nick definitely noticed how good Annie looked and felt her stomach twist slightly.
"Oh." The other bunny repeated as she gave Nick an inscrutable look. "Well...grab a seat then, I guess."
That was how Judy found herself in Annie's apartment, sitting on Annie's couch with a bowl of popcorn in her lap, firmly wedged between Annie and her partner and choosing not to dwell on the smug satisfaction she felt every time the other bunny shot a glare in Nick's direction.
Three spectacularly awkward hours later, they decided to call it a night. As Judy shrugged her coat on, she noticed Nick lingering by the kitchen. "Are you coming, Nick?"
"No, I..." The fox scratched the back of his neck, not making eye contact with his partner. "I'm gonna help Annie clean up before I head home."
Judy peered past him, taking note of the three lonely pieces of popcorn lying on the otherwise clean carpet. "I think she can probably manage."
"Yeah, well... it's...umm...all part of being a courteous guest, right?"
She smirked at the idea. "Well, look at you. Since when are you so civilized?"
"I guess you've been a positive influence, Carrots."
"Well, I'm glad to have helped." Judy nodded, smiling. "In fact, I think I'll stay and help clean up, too."
Nick's smile faltered slightly as she threw her coat over the back of a chair. "You don't have to..."
"C'mon. Between the three of us, it should only take a few minutes. Then we can walk to the train together."
Over the next two weeks, Judy was surprised at how challenging it was to get back into the swing of things. She'd expected to pick up right where they'd left off, but Nick seemed somewhat disengaged. They didn't talk as much as they used to, and whenever they weren't actively doing something else he'd usually be tapping away on his phone. She was curious, but she knew how muck Nick valued his privacy. She knew he'd share when he was ready.
In a similar vein, Briar seemed to be actively avoiding her for the last couple of days. It seemed that whenever she walked into the bullpen, the other bunny was just walking out. Judy couldn't figure out what was wrong,
It was on just such an occasion, as Briar was making a hasty exit from the breakroom, that Judy decided to take the initiative and try to sort out what was going on.
"Hey, Annie! Hold up, I wanted to tal..."
"Oh my GOD Hopps, what the hell is your problem?!"
Judy skidded to a halt, eyes wide.
"I'm put in an absurd effort to be the mature one here. I've tried to be patient and haven't gotten angry, but you are treading on my last nerve."
"What?" Blinking in confusion, Judy's mind furiously tried to catch up with this unexpected turn of events. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about your constant attempts to wedge yourself between Nick and I." The other bunny snapped. "I get that this isn't easy for you, but eventually you're gonna have to deal with the fact that he and I like each other!"
Judy's racing heart suddenly came to a jarring halt. "I..."
"Because whatever kind of torch you're carrying for him, I honestly don't care anymore." Briar continued, either unaware or unaffected by the stricken look on the other bunny's face. "If you ever had a chance, you missed it. So quit it with the passive-aggressive shit. This is not high school!"
"What? I don't...Nick and I aren't..."
"Stop. Just...stop." Annie heaved a angry sigh. "I don't wanna hear it. You're either lying to me or lying to yourself. Whichever one it is, I strongly suggest you cut it the hell out!"
With that, Briar stormed away leaving a thoroughly stunned bunny in her wake. Judy didn't know how long she stood frozen in place, her mind spinning as Annie's accusations echoed in her ears.
Eventually she broke out of her stupor and began walking toward the bullpen. Did she like Nick? The more she thought about it, the more it explained her recent behavior; the bouts of anxiety and uncharacteristic clinginess.
Without intending to, her feet led her right to Nick's desk. Finding the fox surrounded by overdue paperwork, she sat down quietly in the bunny-sized chair he always kept nearby and forced herself not to think about the way Briar's scent clung to it.
"Nick, do you have a second?" She tentatively asked, nervously tapping her claws on his desk's surface.
Her partner looked up from his paperwork, curious. "Sure Carrots. What's up?"
"So…" She began, drawing the word out. "You and Annie are dating, right?"
He clearly hadn't been expecting that. Despite herself, Judy couldn't help but smile at her partner's startled expression – the one she privately called his 'tax-evasion' face.
"I'm not an idiot, Nick. A little dumb sometimes, but not an idiot." Rather than wait for his response, Judy continued. "I'm not sure why you didn't want to tell me, but I guess you were afraid of upsetting me? Or losing me? Did you actually believe I'd just abandon our friendship?"
Her partner winced nervously.
"Cheese and crackers, Nick." She shook her head. "Do you really think so little of me?"
His ears pinned back as he glanced away. "Of course not, Carrots. I just...I dunno...didn't know how to bring it up."
"Maybe start with 'Annabelle and I are dating' and go from there?" She glared at him in irritation. "Which begs the question, exactly how long didyou keep this from me?"
"Um...a little over a month now, I guess."
After just two weeks of working together... Judy couldn't decide whether Nick's answer made her want to scream or cry. "So, I guess you really like her."
"Yeah." Nick nodded slowly. "Yeah, I really do."
The pair sat in silence as Judy gathered her courage for the next question.
"Do you..." Her voice faltered. "Do you like her m-more than you like me?"
"I…" His eyes widened in surprise, tail giving a slight twitch.
"Nick." She insisted. "Please."
"Come on, Carrots. That's not fair." He looked at her helplessly. "How do you expect me to answer a question like that?"
Looking into his eyes, Judy felt her heart crack. "I...I think you just did. I'm just going to…to…"
The bunny rose from her seat and rushed out of the bullpen, hurrying past Clawhauser on her way to the main doors. She'd almost made it when – of course – Briar seemed to appear out of nowhere. Judy barely managed to cut around her, continuing her path to the exit.
"Hey, Hopps! Hold up a second!" Annie ran to catch up. "Look, I really need to apologize for the things I said earlier; I was way out of line."
"It doesn't matter." Judy muttered, fighting not to cry.
Annie paused, finally noticing the other rabbit's distraught expression. "Hey, are you okay?"
"You got what you wanted, Briar." Judy answered, ashamed at the tremor in her voice. "Please, just leave me alone."
Annie reach out to place a paw on Judy's shoulder. "Hopps, I'm so sorry if I..."
"Fuck off, Briar!" Judy heard herself scream, though she couldn't remember intending to do so. "Just take your stupid jokes and smiles and stealing everything that matters to me and FUCK OFF!"
Her fist flew of its own accord, connecting with Annie's face hard enough to send the rabbit tumbling backward. She sat up slowly, looking dazed as she held a paw up to her mouth and awkwardly spat out a sizable piece of her left incisor.
Every officer in the lobby went silent as Judy, horrified at her own actions, turned and fled the precinct; she was barely outside before the tears began to fall.
Later that night, Judy was sitting on the roof of her apartment building, rolling her conversation with Nick over in her head and trying to sort out her own feelings. He'd been right when he accused her of being unfair. She'd put him on the spot without any warning and set him up to fail. There wasn't any way for him to answer her question without upsetting her, and that paled in comparison to the way she'd gone off at Annie.
She had punched another officer! What had she been thinking?!
"Ugh!" She dropped her head into her paws. "I'm such a fucking kit!"
The next day, Nick emerged from his apartment building to find a grey rabbit leaning against a lamp post. "Morning, Nick."
"Carrots." He greeted her, shortly.
"H-how's Annie?"
"She's fine." He narrowed his eyes. "Judy, what the hell...
"Wait!" She interrupted. "Just...just don't talk. Let me walk you to work; I'll talk, you listen."
Nick scrutinized her for a second before he turned to make his way down the sidewalk.
She took a deep breath, falling into step beside him. "So, I'd like to start by admitting that the way I behaved was completely unjustified, but only on the condition that you admit that you were a jerk for lying to me."
The fox opened his mouth to respond, but Judy cut him off. "A lie of omission is still a lie, Nick."
Sighing, he nodded in agreement.
"You should have been up front with me from the beginning," She continued. "But looking at how I reacted, I can see why you weren't. That wasn't really my finest moment, and I owe you an apology. I owe Annie one, too."
She stopped, turning to face him. "I'm sorry, Nick. I'm sorry that I backed you into a corner, and I'm sorry that I made you feel like you couldn't trust me. And most of all, I'm sorry for what I did to Annie. I'm a grown mammal, but the way I acted was stupidly immature. I can't go cry in the bathroom or throw a temper tantrum just because the boy I like is with someone else."
She turned back to find him wearing a vaguely uncomfortable expression.
"Yes, I like you." She gave him a weak smile. "Don't let it go to your head, slick."
Her smile faded as the attempted joke fell flat.
"Sorry. I...nevermind." They rounded a corner and the Precinct One building came into sight.
"Look, it might take me a little time to get over it, but I'm gonna do my best not to make things difficult for you or Annie." She reached out to take his paw in hers. "Until I do, please don't shut me out."
The fox peered their joined paws, tilting his head curiously. Coughing and awkwardly withdrawing her paw, she continued. "I know that nobody wants a third wheel around, but we're all adults and just because you've gotten yourself a girlfriend doesn't mean I have to lose my best friend."
She gestured to the Precinct building. "Now I'm gonna find Annie and ask her to forgive me. Are we...okay?"
"Yeah Judy, we're okay." He sighed. "But this kind of thing can't ever happen again."
"It won't." She looked down shamefully. "But...still partners?"
"Still partners."
"Okay. And Nick?" She paused at the door, looking back at him. "Thanks."
Cautiously, Judy peeked into the first-floor breakroom. As she'd expected, Briar was there waiting for her coffee to finish brewing.
Coughing to get the taller bunny's attention, she waved awkwardly. "Um, hi Annie."
"Hopps." Briar responded stiffly.
"How's the...er...tooth?"
"It'll grow back."
"Right, of course." She shuffled her feet a little. "Look, Annie... I think you and I need to talk."
"Really?" Annie leveled a glare on her. "I can't imagine why you'd think so."
"I deserve that." Judy leaned forward. "So..."
Annie tapped her foot slowly, saying nothing.
"So I, um... I think we can agree that you and I were both a little out of line yesterday."
Annie raised an eyebrow.
"Way out of line, in my case." Judy added, looking away. "My actions...what I did...it was completely inexcusable, but for what it's worth I absolutely apologize."
"Okay." Annie replied ambiguously.
"And since I'm almost certainly going to be suspended for hitting another officer, you and Nick will probably go back to patrolling together." She took a deep breath, trying not to get upset. "Just promise me you'll take care of him, because he can be really dumb sometimes. Don't let him wear those stupid aviators during roll call, and..."
"Hopps."
"...make sure swap out his regular coffee for decaf in the afternoon, or he'll be up all night playing video games and useless on patrol the next day...
"Hopps."
"...and don't let him leave the heater on in the cruiser during the winter, or his winter coat will never come in and he'll spend every shift complaining about the cold, and..."
"Judy!"
She halted in mid-sentence, blinking at the taller rabbit.
"You're not going to get in trouble."
"I'm not?"
Annie shook her head. "Nick told me about your conversation, and I think it's fair to say my little outburst already had you a little fired up. He convinced me not to report you."
"He did? B-but all those other officers..."
"I told them I asked for help with the procedures for dealing with an angry suspect, and that you took a swing at me with the expectation that I'd be able to block it." Annie chuckled. "I also told them that you were so upset about accidentally hurting me that you had to take the rest of the day off. They'll definitely make fun of you for that; consider it your penance."
Despite herself, Judy laughed softly. "That's fair."
"I hear you walked in to work with Nick this morning." Annie commented, pulling a pair of coffee mugs from a low cupboard and handing one to Judy.
"How did...?"
She shrugged. "Haven't you heard, Hopps? I have psychic powers."
"Nick texted you?"
"Nick texted me."
Judy smiled. "It was a good walk. I think we got stuff sorted out."
"That's good." Annie nodded. "You know it was killing him, not telling you?"
Judy gave her an incredulous look as Briar filled both of their mugs.
"Seriously, it was. You're his best friend, and the dumb fox managed to get himself all worked up about not hurting your feelings." Annie smirked. "It was actually kinda sweet."
The two of them finished preparing their coffee in silence.
"So...uh...are we good?" Judy ventured.
"Oh hell no, Hopps." Annie grinned. "I'll be seeing you in the parking lot after class."
Judy laughed as some of the tension melted away. "Suit yourself, Briar. Just don't go crying to Bogo after I whoop that fluffy tail of yours again."
Sweet Jebus, these chapters keep getting longer and longer!